| Date | December 4, 1865 (1865-12-04) |
|---|---|
| Venue | House Chamber,United States Capitol |
| Type | State of the Union Address |
| Participants | Andrew Johnson Lafayette S. Foster Schuyler Colfax |
| Format | Written |
| Previous | 1864 State of the Union Address |
| Next | 1866 State of the Union Address |
The1865 State of the Union Address was written by historianGeorge Bancroft and read to the Congress byRobert Johnson, the son and personal secretary of the 17th president of the United States,Andrew Johnson.[1] According to one historian, "Johnson had sent Bancroft only two suggestions: passages from Thomas Jefferson's inaugural and from a speech byCharles James Fox."[1] The result was generally high-toned and well received.[1]
It was presented to theUnited States Congress on Monday, December 4, 1865. The text stated, "Our thoughts next revert to the death of the late President by an act of parricidal treason. The grief of the nation is still fresh. It finds some solace in the consideration that he lived to enjoy the highest proof of its confidence by entering on the renewed term of the Chief Magistracy to which he had been elected; that he brought the civil war substantially to a close; that his loss was deplored in all parts of the Union, and that foreign nations have rendered justice to his memory."[2]
| Preceded by | State of the Union addresses 1865 | Succeeded by |
